


To Build A Home

by honeycombkiss



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-15
Updated: 2013-09-15
Packaged: 2017-12-26 15:00:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/967330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeycombkiss/pseuds/honeycombkiss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s a Tuesday when Louis decides he’s tired of being alone. Harry’s couch is too hard against his back and he doesn’t like the way he scrambles his eggs and he’s too long and thin to cuddle; no biceps or abs and he misses the way things were. /or Louis realizes Liam's home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Build A Home

It’s a Tuesday when Louis decides he’s tired of being alone. Harry’s couch is too hard against his back and he doesn’t like the way he scrambles his eggs and he’s too long and thin to cuddle; no _biceps_ or _abs_ and he _misses_ the way things were.

He types out four texts and sends none. He can’t find the right words.

**X**

When things were happy, Louis would’ve never imagined getting up and leaving, being so consumed with his emotions that he’d lose sight of what it was that made him happy.

**X**

Harry gets home late one evening, a sad sort of smile on his face.

“You okay?”

“Liam,” Harry sighs.

“You went to see him?!” It’s ridiculous, he knows, Harry and Liam are friends.

“Yes,” Harry sits down beside him, nuzzles into him. (he smells like Liam) “He’s sad.”

“Is he?” Louis’ trying.

“He is. And he says he misses you.”

“What’d you say ‘bout me?”

“I said you missed him too.”

**X**

The weathers gone bitter and cold, wind biting his neck. The trees have changed colors and his hands are cold, his knuckles red. He’s got a million things to do, but he can’t bring himself to do even half of them. And his things are at _the_ flat and he can’t find the will anymore.

“You should go talk to Liam.” Zayn tells him. “You look awful.”

He knows Zayn’s right.

**X**

The fighting had been unbearable.

And they worked too much and their classes were too long.

And they were _so_ young.

Louis knows those are excuses.

**X**

It snows and Louis doesn’t leave Harry’s flat, because _first snow falls were theirs_.

**X**

“It’s so wet,”

“ _Liam_ , it’s snow!”

“But it’s the wet kind!”

“For heavens sake, Liam, come on!” Liam’s wrist in hand, Louis darts across the street and throws the both of them onto the ground, flapping his arms. In a moment, Liam’s doing the same.

“Isn’t it fun?” And Louis never asks, but this is _Liam_.

“Yeah,” his voice is soft, but happy. His thick curly hair has got snowflakes against each strand and he looks gentle. Louis fringe, too, is wet but it only makes him cold.

They make a snowman next and they go searching for eyes and a nose and smile at Liam’s insistence.

“He seems happy,”

“How?”

“It’s a happy time of year,” Liam explains. “And it’s _snowing_ in _London_. Mr. Snowman’s never been here before.” Louis chuckles at first, but then he’s laughing, a full belly laugh. And it shakes him and he places a hand at his tummy, his head thrown back. Liam smiles shyly.

It’s later, after their fingers have frozen and their noses are red and their clothes are soaked, when Liam says,

“I think I love you.” And Louis’ shocked to say the least; their _friends_ and things are so new and Louis had only _dreamed_ , only _thought_ and-

“I think I do, too,” Louis murmured.

**X**

“I think we need to take a break.”

**X**

“It’s been three months,” it’s so dark and Louis thinks he might be drunk, but Harry sounds like he’s crying.

“I _know_ ,”

“Tomorrow, Lou, you’ve got to go talk to him tomorrow,” Harry sighs when Louis doesn’t respond. “Why does it feel like I’m the only one who cares anymore?”

**X**

After confessing their ‘maybe’ love for each other, they’re inseparable. Louis follows Liam to the library to study, Liam comes to work with Louis, and Louis has all but moved out of his flat with Harry and in with Liam.

And their things fit so nicely together, and Louis finds he sleeps better and Liam’s morning tea is his favorite.

And Liam feels like _home_.

**X**

“Leeyum,” Louis pokes his side. “Leeyum, wake up,”

“Hmm?”

“Wake up, Li,”

“Mornin’?”

“Can’t sleep,”

“Mm,” he moans lowly, snuggling into Louis’ side. “Tired,”

“It’s late,” Louis’ fingers skitter up and down Liam’s bare side. “Or early,”

“You okay?” Liam’s voice is muffled against Louis’ chest and it feels warm.

“I am,” Louis murmurs low. “Just can’t sleep,”

“Mm, jus’ close your eyes,” Liam’s sleepy voice is adorable and Louis smiles.

“I’ve tried,”

“You’ve go’ work ‘morrow,”

“I know,” Louis’ voice is raspy and his eyes are stinging. Liam holds him tighter.

“I’ll sing to you,” although it isn’t’ really singing, but humming lowly and huskily. And it goes from Toy Story soundtrack to Drake to some awful pop song. But it’s comforting and Louis’ eyes become heavy, his tiny body wrapped up in Liam’s much larger one.

**X**

“I feel like my heart’s missing,” Louis miserably admits to Harry over bitter tea. “And when I think about him my throat clogs up,”

“You miss him,” Harry murmurs.

“And I wake up more tired than when I went to sleep. If I can fall asleep,”

“You’ve always had trouble sleeping,”

“But he made it better,” Louis sighs. “I don’t know how much longer I can live like this. I need to get better.”

“You don’t! You need Liam!”

“It’s not that easy,”

**X**

It was Louis’ idea to shave Liam’s head. Because Liam had _needed_ a change. New semester, new relationship; new hair.

“I’m scared,” Liam’s sweet face looks so concerned Louis nearly considers dropping the subject.

“Don’t be,” Louis pushes him down onto the stool. “You know you want this,”

“I do,” Liam agreed.

“Goodbye to the old you, sort of ritual,”

“Yeah,” Liam nodded, though Louis can tell he’s still nervous.

“Come on, Liam, _smile_ ,” Liam gives him a weak one. “Good, now Niall bring me the razor,” Niall comes running over with the new red device in his grasps, thrusting it towards Louis. “This will only hurt a little,” Liam dawns a face of composure.

“That’s okay,” and Louis can’t help but kiss the top of his head.

**X**

Liam’s hair grows quickly, but they simply grow apart.

**X**

Louis knows it’s the day, his heart is pounding and Harry made him breakfast, holding his hands between bites. Harry’s voice had been soft, telling him what he should say and how much of his heart he should share.

It’s snowing, and so Louis’ dressed in a sweater that’s too big and pants that are too tight and he’s got a beanie he’s not sure is his. And it dawns on him that this is how they met, winter biting their ears and skin hidden by clothes too warm.

“I’m scared,” he tells Harry as he stands before the threshold, the door flung open.

“Don’t be,” Harry’s smile is warm. “You both need this,”

“I know,” Louis hangs his head down.

“Go on!” Harry pushes him slightly. “And don’t come back!”

“No promises,” Louis sighs.

**X**

Louis passes all of the shops that have too many memories and the sidewalks that mean kisses and he ducks his head lower.

**X**

He ends up at a park covered in fresh snow. He decides he really can’t just go to Liam and he doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know what Liam will say and he can’t have things go wrong.

So he settles on a text.

‘i thought i’d let you know, these things take forever, i especially am slow. but i realized that i need you and i wonder if i could come home’

**X**

Liam texts back within the hour.

‘please’

**X**

Louis’ tea cup sits in the sink, specks of brew still stuck to the bottom of it. His coat is flung on the floor by the door and Liam’s camera sits atop Louis’ chemistry book. The closet is stuffed full of baseball tees and colorful sweaters and band tshirts and colored jeans litter the floor. And the bathroom has got two very different hair products filling the cabinets, two toothbrushes on the counter.

When the sun starts to set, two bodies find their way through the door, limbs refusing to let go, to stop touching.

“I missed you,”

“I hate work,”

“The days too long,”

“I don’t like my lonely lunch break,”

They don’t let the other go all night.

**X**

Liam is home.


End file.
